The Philippine Territory

The Philippine territory is defined by Article 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It encompasses the Philippine archipelago, including all islands and waters within it, as well as other territories under Philippine sovereignty or jurisdiction. This includes terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains, its territorial sea, seabed, subsoil, insular shelves, and other submarine areas.

The second sentence of Article 1 outlines the archipelagic doctrine, stating that the waters surrounding, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their size, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines. These internal waters include bays, rivers, and lakes, and within them, there is no right of innocent passage, meaning foreign vessels require permission to navigate.

The territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from the baseline or low water marks. Adjoining this is the Contiguous Zone, which also extends up to 12 nautical miles. Beyond these, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines.